Today I was going from Park to Harvard, and got a somewhat weird ride. The train - a 17000 series - pulled up at Park, with the second car silent and dark. The operator annouced asking not to go into the second car as it is "out of service". Then they expressed the train all the way to Harvard...

It must've been the fastest ride I ever had between those two stops. When we got to Harvard I noticed that the doors on the second car did not open and that it was still dark inside. But the weird thing was that right behind us was an 18000! It pulled into Harvard just as my train left. So that means that it was expressed too, I guess... Two express trains in a row. I wonder what happened.

The train - a 17000 series - pulled up at Park, with the second car silent and dark. The operator annouced asking not to go into the second car as it is "out of service". Then they expressed the train all the way to Harvard...

That's because that car that had its lights out was isolated. Lately, the main reason a car can be isolated is because of security reasons post 3-1-1 Madrid and post 11SEP01, or safety hazard (such as an open bulkhead door that doesn't lock, even though NYCT car bulkhead doors are mostly unlocked with customers riding.) Somehow the MBTA is way toooo picky about safety in a car and for absurd reasons they isolate a car, I mean c'mon, let that car (all 6 or 4) be open. But the last thing the T needs is, yup, you guessed it, a lawsuit.

Well, on last night's 01800 ride out of Park Street till Braintree, I got the operato'r side seat instead at North Quincy. However, I discouvered that the curtain on that car, 01870, had a few holes in it. I was surprised to see that, but the curtain, which is made of a different material than the older train's curtains had a slither cut, so I saw thru those. And besides, the non-operator's windows were double-added.

Well, I got 01812 this AM from Braintree inward, with ad in window, ASA operational and that, although the ride in from Braintree itself was a SURREAL one. There were switching problems at Braintree Stations, including that pocket track behind Best Buy, and at Cadigan Yard, their swiches were also disabled this AM. I got to the Platfourm at 5:10 AM but the first trip didn't leave till 5:38 AM, another one at 5:41, and 01812, the third trip (which I got on) left at 5:47-and-a-half AM. The result was a wheel assembly from a 01600/01700 consist that fell out at Quincy Centre, and that train was still used till Braintree, and then the wheel assembly eventually messed up the entire switching system network and the fiberoptic communications for Cadigan Yard and Braintree Public Station. That's what a track worker told me. Hoepfully this situation will be cleared up by the evning ride home.